How Much Internet Speed Do You Really Need?

4 Ways Big Data is Enhancing the Streaming Experience

Sponsored Links

Streaming TV from your computer or tablet has become the new way to enjoy your favorite TV shows. The role of big data is one that can't be ignored. It's managed to touch every industry, and this is no exception. But a lot of people don't understand how the likes of Hulu and Netflix have managed to use big data to enhance the streaming experience.

More of the Shows You Want
Big data is always working and it's always gathering data on behalf of the streaming companies. Whenever you don't know what you want to watch big data can help you with that. It's also been seen with Google and Amazon through targeted recommendations.

Data already gathered on your viewing habits will enable the streaming service to come up with a targeted recommendation. It's almost like the service is right there in your head. But really they've just learned about you and they know what you like.

You'll save and effort crawling through a whole catalogue of TV shows.

Renewing TV Advertising
TV advertising is one of the advertising types that have fallen by the wayside with the rise of the Internet. With fewer and fewer people watching TV on a regular basis, TV advertising is losing its effectiveness. This has forced advertisers away from TV and into online streaming.

Advertising via online streaming is far more effective because advertisements can be better targeted towards consumers. It's easy to place specific advertisements on specific shows, but big data can help advertisers to better reach their target audiences.

Through using the information gathered from users, streaming services can use big data to better target their advertisements. It gives viewers something useful to watch and it allows brands to reach their target audiences.

Reducing Costs for Streaming Services
The idea of using data to provide a better solution for customers isn't a new one. Streaming services and TV companies have been using data for years to give people more of what they want. But this is normally expensive, and those costs are usually passed onto the viewer at some point.

Big data has enabled streaming services to reduce its costs in its attempts to produce the best TV streaming services possible. Again, those savings are passed on to customers at some point.

Coming Up with New Products
TV streaming services have to do more than simply take what's on a TV network and transplant it to the online world. They have to get innovative. For example, Amazon's streaming channel is far from just something that's broadcasting lots of programs. It's creating programs.

Amazon has stepped into the role of the production company. This is a sign of what dedicated streaming services are going to have to do if they're going to differentiate themselves from everyone else.

The only way they can stand out from the crowd is through a host of original shows. They need to offer something that can't be found anywhere else. It's exactly what games consoles do. They produce games that are exclusive to specific consoles.

So how does big data help with this?

Making a TV show is not an affordable venture. It requires spending hundreds of thousands of dollars. It is not something you can play around with. Rather than shooting in the dark and hoping for the best, you can use big data to find out what your customers want to watch.

There is always going to be an element of risk involved because you never can tell how someone is going to react. But big data decreases the chances of getting it wrong. It increases the chances of producing something that's going to turn a profit.

Last Word – Big Data is Changing the Industry
It's clear that big data is making some huge changes to the industry. It has the potential to give both the viewer and the streaming service a better experience. Big data touches everything from the making of the programs to what they're advertised alongside.

How do you think big data is enhancing the streaming experience?

All products recommended by Engadget are selected by our editorial team, independent of our parent company. Some of our stories include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, we may earn an affiliate commission.